Hanging file folders typically have tab members to identify the contents of the folders. These tab members need to be staggered in placement to permit ease of viewing of the tabs. Rather than providing sets of file folders having fixed position tab members in staggered formation, a common practice to is to provide slots into which detached, repositionable tab members can be positioned as desired by end users. An example disclosure of these types of tab members can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,487.
Such repositionable tab members have proven less than ideal for some end users. For example, some end users report that the repositionable tab members are difficult to insert. Similarly, some end users report difficulty judging the proper slots into which to insert the tab members in order to obtain the desired positioning. Additionally, the hanging file folder will be without a tab if the repositionable tab member becomes lost or damaged.
Other hanging file folders have been developed to permit selective placement of tab members by providing multiple tab members to a folder, which can be prepositioned for selective extension beyond the edge of the folder. In other words, any of the tab members can be manipulated by the user to cause that tab member to become extended beyond a folder edge, while the other tab members remain hidden so as not to block view of tab members of other folders. An example disclosure of this type of tab member can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,732,461. In this patent, the tab member is made of a clear plastic sheet, and the mechanism for holding an extended tab in the extended position is an interlocking rib and groove mechanism. Labeling with this tab member is accomplished by creating a label and inserting it into a plastic sleeve formed of the tab member.